Subscriber Information

Topics

To order any service, call 3 Rivers at 1-800-796-4567 or complete this form.

Service Order Charges

Installation Or Change Of Service

The one-time charges to install or change your service may vary, depending on the type of work that is done. You will be charged for the work we do to process your order and to connect or make changes to your service. If a technician needs to install jacks or wiring inside your home or business, you will be charged for the time the technician is there and/or for the materials used.

Central Office Line Access

This charge is for work we do to connect your line to our switching office.

Premise Visit

This is the charge you pay when a technician visits your home and the service difficulty or trouble is found to have been caused by your equipment or facilities.

No Charge To Disconnect Service

There is no charge to disconnect service. Please call in advance of your move.

Deposits

If you are a new customer or have recently moved and need to reestablish service, we may ask for an advance payment or deposit.

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Directory Listings

Every subscriber may be listed once in the alphabetical section of the directory without charge. Additional directory listing options are available to meet your personal or business needs.

Every effort is made to make the directory listings accurate. If an error occurs, please call our business office so the listings can be corrected.

Listed Number

You have the option of choosing how your listing will read. We can print your entire name and address or offer variations of the same.

Non-Published Number

Your number is not in the directory and is not available through Directory Assistance. There is an additional charge for this service.

Non-Listed Number

Your number is not in the directory, but is available through Directory Assistance and will be given out upon request. There is an additional charge for this service.

E-Mail Listings

You can list your E-Mail address in conjunction with your regular telephone listing. There is an additional charge for this service.

Foreign Listings

A listing which contains a telephone number prefix other than the exchange in which it is listed. Examples of foreign listings include toll free (800) numbers or a Great Falls number listed in the Fairfield section. There is an additional charge for foreign listings.

Additional Listings

An additional listing is a separate and distinct additional listing in the telephone directory. There is an extra charge for this service.

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Special Arrangements When You Go On Vacation

Vacation Rate

If you're going to be gone on vacation for one month up to 6 months, call your service representative to have your phone put on vacation rate service. The vacation rate is lower than most regular rates and may save you money. Also, your name will be listed in the directory.

Reserve Number

This guarantees that you will get the same telephone number when you reconnect your service. This does not keep your telephone number in directory assistance or the directory. There is a charge for this service.

Temporary or Permanent Disconnect

Temporary or Permanent Disconnect will disconnect your service completely. There is no guarantee that you will get the same telephone number back if you choose to reconnect at a later date.

Connect fees may apply when activating service.

**If a customer connects and disconnects within a short period, they will be charged a minimum of 30-days service plus any applicable connect or reconnect fees.

 

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Questions About Your Bill

How Am I Billed?

Charges for your local service and equipment are billed one month in advance. Long distance charges are billed after you use the service. Charges for installing or changing equipment are billed following completion of the work.

Explanation of Additional Charges:

Access Recovery Charge (ARC): The ARC is a monthly surcharge telecommunications providers assess in order to defray some of the costs associated with terminating calls from other carriers on local networks. This charge is authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Federal Subscriber Line Charge: This charge is designed to recover a portion of the cost of connecting telephone customers to the nationwide telephone network through the local network. This charge is authorized by the FCC.

911 Fee: This fee funds the Montana 911 emergency telephone program and is imposed on each telephone line. The fee is collected by the Montana Department of Revenue and is used by cities and counties to upgrade and maintain 911 systems.

MT Telecommunications Access Service: This monthly fee funds equipment and relay centers to help speech, hearing and mobility impaired Montanans place and receive calls.

Federal Excise Tax: A tax representing 3% of all local telephone charges is charged to all telephone users nationwide and is remitted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

MT Excise Tax: A tax representing 3.75% of all local and long distance telephone charges is collected by the Montana Department of Revenue.

Federal Universal Service Charge: The Federal Universal Service Fund provides monetary support to rural telephone companies operating in high cost areas to assist them in maintaining affordable local telephone service. It also funds federal programs such as E-Rate, which discounts telecommunications services for schools, libraries and medical facilities. This charge is recalculated quarterly by the FCC.

Directory Assistance: Directory Assistance is a telephone call you can make to find out a specific phone number of a residence or business by calling 411 or 1-411. There is an additional charge for this service.

Electronic Online Billing/SmartHub

Electronic online billing/SmartHub lets you look at your telephone bill any time you want when connected to the Internet, and on any device when using the SmartHub mobile app, available at the App Store and Google Play. Not only can you “view” your bill, but you can also pay your bill by E-Check, MasterCard, American Express or Visa. You can look up those “unknown” calls with just the click of a mouse, identify your calling patterns and easily see where your calls are going, check to see if payment has been received, eliminate paper and the list goes on! For more information on SmartHub, please give our business office a call and a customer service representative will help you gain access to your phone bill.

When Is My Bill Due?

Your bill is due upon receipt. 

See "Pay Your Bill" link at top of page for more information.

Default Of Payment Or Other Violations Of Regulations

Charges for exchange service and facilities for toll and long distance service are due when the bill for such service is rendered. Failure to receive a bill does not exempt the subscriber from prompt payment of their account. The subscriber is held responsible for all charges for exchange service and facilities furnished at their request, for all toll and long distance service furnished at their request and for all toll and long distance service furnished at their station or stations, including charges for toll messages received at their station or stations on which the charges have been reversed. In the event of default of payment of any sum due for either exchange or toll service or both, the use of foul or profane language, the impersonation of any other person with fraudulent intent, or any other violation of the Cooperative's policies, the Cooperative may either suspend or terminate the service.

What Happens If I Can't Pay My Bill On Time?

Call our business office. We may be able to make payment arrangements in case of illness or other circumstances beyond your control. We urge you to keep a good credit record with us. You may be requested to pay a deposit as a result of late payments. Late payments may also result in your phone service being disconnected.

How Can I Get Service Restored If It Has Been Disconnected For Non-Payment?

All charges billed for service must be paid before your service can be reconnected. This would include any amount which you may have received on a new bill. You will also have to re-establish your credit and as a result, we may require an advance payment and/or deposit before reconnecting your service.

What Should I Do About Questions Or Mistakes On My Bill?

Call our business office. A customer service representative will be able to answer questions, investigate possible errors and provide information about bills.

 

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Repair And Troubleshooting

Problems with your telephone, including the wiring inside your home or office, or in the telephone company’s outside line and switching equipment, could mean there may be something wrong with one or more of your telephones.We can test your line, but in some cases we won’t know what is wrong without sending a repair technician to your home or office. There may be a charge for this service call.

Troubleshooting

  1. Check to see if all of your telephones are hung up.
  2. Perform a visual inspection of all exposed wiring and connections for damage or loose connections.
  3. When there is more than one outlet, check each phone accessory at each outlet to determine if proper operation can be obtained from any outlet. If proper operation is obtained from any outlet, the trouble has been isolated to an accessory or house wiring.
  4. In order to isolate jack or house wiring problems, simply move a working telephone to each jack in the house to determine which location is causing trouble.

No Dial Tone

If your phone has no dial tone, please unplug all cordless phones, fax machines, computer modems, satellite dishes, and answering machines from the electrical outlet and jack. Then check to see if you have a dial tone. At this time if you are still experiencing trouble, please call us at 1-800-796-4567 or 611 (from any 3 Rivers exchange).

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How does the FCC regulate VoIP?

• 911 Services: Providers of "interconnected" VoIP services – which allow users generally to make calls to and receive calls from the regular telephone network – do have 911 service obligations; however, 911 calls using VoIP are handled differently than 911 calls using your regular telephone service.

http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/voip911.pdf

• Portability: The FCC requires interconnected VoIP providers and telephone companies to comply with Local Number Portability (LNP) rules. (See our guide on Portability www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/porting-keeping-your-phone-number-when-you-change-providers ).

• Calling Records: The FCC limits interconnected VoIP providers' use of customer proprietary network information such as your telephone calling records, and requires interconnected VoIP providers to protect it from disclosure.

• Universal Service: The FCC requires interconnected VoIP providers to contribute to the Universal Service Fund, which supports communications services in high-cost areas and for income-eligible telephone subscribers.

• Accessibility: Interconnected VoIP providers must contribute to the Telecommunications Relay Services Fund used to support the provision of telecommunications services to persons with speech or hearing disabilities and offer 711 abbreviated dialing for access to relay services. Providers and equipment manufacturers also must ensure their services are available to and usable by individuals with disabilities, if such access is achievable.
 

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